


Sapphires and Supernovas

by Robin_Hazelwood



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Alien Abduction, Alien Character(s), Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Romance, Alien Sex, Alien/Human Relationships, Boys' Love, Dream Sex, Gay Male Character, Gay Sex, Human/Monster Romance, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Male Slash, Night Terrors, Oral Sex, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Slash, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Wet Dream, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2019-08-20 17:15:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16559927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Robin_Hazelwood/pseuds/Robin_Hazelwood
Summary: After the passing of his grandfather, Alex Williams finds himself alone in the world. His only comfort is a mysterious stranger he only ever meets in his dreams. Thanks to him, Alex's nights are toe-curlingly steamy and filled with a new type of heartache.How can they just be dreams when they feel so real? Then again, reality can't be this strange. Sometimes, the handsome man resembles someone, no, SOMETHING, utterly frightening and out of this world. Yet, Alex trusts him completely. How can he not when the stranger looks at him so adoringly and dotes on his every need?Author Note: This story contains sexually explicit content between two males and should only be read by mature readers.





	1. Chapter 1

Alex was always told he had pretty eyes. Granted, he did not have much of a social life, but growing up he had had more than a few compliments from strangers thrown his way. His grandfather had been the worst for it, regularly telling his grandson that his eyes ‘twinkled like sapphires’. It was a gift, the elderly Williams would explain, that he inherited from his grandmother. Apparently he had always been a tad disappointed that his only son, Alex’s father, had been given the same ‘dull shade’ as his own. Alex had no idea why. He thought the rusty colour of falling autumn leaves was no less lovely.

Currently staring at himself in a mirror, Alex came to the conclusion that his eyes did not look pretty at all. They looked tired. Bags were beginning to appear below his eyelashes and his normally rosy skin was looking a little pale.  His wispy auburn hair, although never able to be tamed by Alex’s hair brush, was even more unruly than usual and curling up a storm. The short, soft locks framed his heart-shaped face and highlighted his small nose, gentle features and full, dusty pink lips.

His bottom lip was seized by pearly teeth when, finally, Alex pulled his gaze away from the reflective glass. His gaze instead began to wander around a modest bedroom. Wooden floorboards that creaked with every third step laid beneath his bare feet. A simple, single pine bed was pressed against the right wall and a plain wardrobe laid opposite it. On the left wall was a small desk with a single draw, its walnut wood mismatching heavily with his lighter furniture. A comfy but worn chair was pulled up to it, and beside that a four-shelved bookcase stood filled to the brim with books. The soft green of his bedsheets matched the rug on his floor and the two potted herbs on his windowsill. He didn't have a green thumb, or a chef's hat for that matter, but he enjoyed the fresh scent of mint and lemon balm whenever he walked into his room.

Alex walked away from the standing, thinly-framed mirror in the corner and instead made his way to the bed. He cascaded down with a ‘thump’, the bedsheet briefly billowing with the carelessness of his landing.

Just what was he still doing here? 

The self-asked question made Alex audibly groan and rub a hand down his face. Truth was, he had absolutely no idea why he was still living in this old, derelict farmhouse situated hours away from the nearest city. The cattle that grazed here had long since been sold, as had the tractors, hay baler, plough and all manner of other farming equipment. There was nothing and no one left for him here, not since-

Alex’s thoughts ran short, the memory of last year still a raw and painful one.

Alex was not a farmer. His grandfather, on the other hand, had been a magnificent one. He had been forced to slow down once the arthritis had got bad, however. When his memory began to slip, life on the farm had stopped altogether. 

No, Alex was not a gardener, a cook or a farmer, but he had muddled through all three of those roles at some point in his life for his grandfather, for what Alex lacked in those skills he made up for by being an excellent grandson.

A grandson, and a Carer towards the end…

Alex abruptly sat up, hastily scrubbing away the sting in his eyes. 

He had to move out. He could not live off his savings for much longer, but living this far out in the countryside made it near impossible to find a job. The nearest village was miles away, and it was far from bustling with career opportunities. Once in a blue moon, when an advertisement for a job did come up, the wage never so much as covered the cost of petrol he needed to get there everyday.

He was out of options. He had to sell the farm. The statement was not news to him. He had known it for a while, had told himself the same thing everyday for weeks. So why hadn't he done it already? Just what exactly was stopping him? Was it sentimentality? Alex had certainly loved living here with his grandfather. The farm held many happy memories for him, and a few sad ones too. Indeed Alex had lived here for the majority of his life. How could he not feel sad at having to say goodbye to the home he had shared with his grandfather? 

Even so, Alex couldn't believe that sentimentality alone had stopped him from moving on. The elderly Williams would not have wanted Alex to mope around in a big, empty house. A house that was in poor repair and very cold, now that Alex was struggling to pay the oil supplier. Not being connected to the gas grid was just one of the many perks that came with living in deep countryside. 

No, if his grandfather had been here, he would have already had strict words with Alex. ‘Stop being so daft, lad’, he would have said. ‘Don’t be a plonker and take care of yourself.’ Alex could practically hear his grandfather’s voice echoing inside his head.

He wasn't here though. Alex was completely alone. He had no reason to stay here. There was nothing and no one-

“Oof!”

As though in answer to his depressing thoughts, a furry canine threw itself on top of the unwitting Alex. It’s long, ebony and ivory coat smoothed the young man's frame, quickly bringing a welcomed warmth on what Alex was certain was going to be a chilly night. It's paws sank uncomfortably into Alex’s chest and stomach.

Nevertheless, Alex smiled. “You're ready for bed too, huh Susy?”

That's right, how could he forget? Alex wasn't completely alone. He still had Susy. The border collie was his best friend, and had once been his grandfather's most beloved companion and most hard working farm dog. She was getting older now, too old to be jumping onto people really, but you wouldn't know it from the way she dashed about, seemingly as healthy and active as a young pup. Alex honestly didn't know how she did it. There was a time, very soon after his grandfather's passing, that Alex thought he might lose Susy too. She had acted just as lifeless as Alex had, the death of her master seemingly too much for the aging collie.

They had both been failing, suffering. Alex hadn't known what to do. He hadn't know if he could do anything. 

Then, all of a sudden, Susy had become… rejuvenated. It was a strange thing to explain, but it was like the light had returned to Susy’s eyes. Her movements, once weighed down with age and sadness, had suddenly become lighter and energetic. Her mood had gradually picked up, and the young Williams had been greatly relieved. Alex didn't know what had changed, but he had been hugely thankful nonetheless.

Deep down Alex liked to think that, maybe, just maybe, Susy had decided to hold on for him. That the two of them had decided to be there for each other during a time that devastated them both. Their bond had grown even deeper after the elderly William’s passing. Susy had given Alex a reason to get up in the morning, a reason to leave the house and not fall into his own depressive pit of misery. Simple tasks, like going to the store to buy Susy her Woofers Complete dog food, reminded Alex that the cupboards were empty and he needed to feed himself too. Pulling on his boots every afternoon and stepping out onto countryside trails because Susy demanded her walk every day, never mind the state of the weather, forced Alex to see that life did continue on, even if it didn't feel like it should. The sun kept rising. The birds kept chirping. The seasons carried on changing.

The months that followed had been a strain for both of them, but Alex honestly couldn't have imagined going through it alone. Susy wasn't just his best friend. She was family.

She was the last of his family.

Alex visibly flinched, tired of the thoughts that looped back on him like a broken record. With a heavy sigh, he forcibly pushed the musings out of his head by ruffling the top of Susy’s head instead. His canine companion responded with a happy wag that sent a chilly breeze down Alex’s airy pajama bottoms. 

The young man shivered. “Alright. Bed time. Fancy moving over a bit, Suse, or are you using me as your mattress again?”

Alex didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed as he watched Susy hop off the bed and bury herself in the soft, fluffy bedding that made up her own bed on the floor. Figures she’d choose the option that had more blankets. Susy certainly wasn't silly.

With a rueful smile, Alex began wrapping himself in his thin duvet. He was definitely going to miss not having a dog-sized hot water bottle tonight. “Must be nice having all that fur,” he commented. Susy didn't even bat an eye. In fact, she closed them completely. 

The young William's decided to follow suit. The days could be difficult, but the nights always granted him wonderful dreams. It was a small mercy, considering the struggles that would torment him during his waking hours, that his sleep wouldn't plague him with nightmares. On the contrary, sleep gifted him with the escapism, the break from his worries that he so desperately sought.

Every night, Alex dreamed of him. He was a stranger Alex hadn't thought his imagination was capable of conjuring. Long raven locks. Fierce green eyes that were so dark, they were almost black, a mere shimmer of colour that almost seamlessly blended in with his pupils. His skin was a golden bronze, his physic muscular but lean like an Olympic swimmer. He towered over Alex’s five foot seven inch height, but he was never domineering.

Alex let out a wistful sigh as he snuggled deeper into his mattress.

Yes, his sandman was stunning, otherworldly so, but it wasn't his looks that made Alex’s smile stretch to the point of pain, his heart fill to the brim with warmth and joy to spark from the tips of his fingers to the ends of his toes.

It was his uncanny ability to make Alex feel complete. Alex’s heart had been broken into such tiny pieces that it shouldn't have been so shockingly easy for one man, even if he was simply a figment of Alex’s imagination, to fit them back together again like it was a child’s puzzle. This man made him feel needed, cherished. Like Alex was the centre of his universe. Like...

Like he would never be alone again. Like he would forever be surrounded by love.

“Zagra…”

No sooner did the name leave his lips than Alex’s lids fall, his breathing even and his body go lax.

***

“Alex?”

A deep, gravelly voice called to him from the darkness. The cold that had chilled his bones from inside the old farmhouse had disappeared, replaced instead by a comfortable warmth that instantly made him feel calm and safe. He let out an appreciative groan. The young Williams imagined this would be what a curled up cat felt like when dozing in summer sunshine; utterly content and carefree.

A large hand gently placed itself on top of Alex’s head. The sensation of deft fingers threading themselves through his auburn curls and softly massaging his scalp had Alex's eyelids fluttering open. 

Immediately, Alex was greeted by a beaming smile full of perfect white teeth. Deep green eyes, the colour of a midnight ocean, threatened to drown him. A slim nose, chiseled jaw, strong brow and sun-kissed skin all equated to some kind of Amazonian deity that should be ruling over a harsh jungle and leading a pack of deadly panthers. He was so fantastical, Alex wouldn't be surprised if a pair of sharp fangs suddenly appeared in that dazzling smile.

He was too handsome to be real. He was, very literally, the man of Alex’s dreams.

“My sweet impid,” the man of the Amazon whispered as he brushed Alex’s curls from his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

As always, Zagra’s pet name for the him sent a jolt of electricity to spark from his heart and travel straight to his groin. Zagra had quite a few of them, although not all of them had the same effect as ‘impid’ did. ‘My heart’ and ‘nectar’ were two that he understood, although he thought ‘nectar’ was a tad odd. Zagra had often called him ‘Queen’ before an uncomfortable Alex had meekly asked him to stop. Alex's sexuality was very clear, both to him and his subconscious. Calling him a ‘Queen’ was just too much.

‘Impid’, however, was very acceptable to Alex. It hadn't been a word Alex had ever come across before, and so when Zagra had first called him it, the blue-eyed boy had asked him what it meant.

It was an extremely rare flower, Zagra had explained. Pure white with a speckled blue centre, the impid had short, triangular petals with long stems that were rich with nectar. It was a hardy plant, one of the few to survive in the harshest of climates. Zagra said that there were so few specimens left in the wild, some botanists were now attempting to grow the flower in artificial environments. An impid was a hugely expensive delicacy. According to Zagra, only the very rich could afford it.

Alex had never heard of an impid flower and he had no idea why it was considered a delicacy. Then again, Alex was no flower expert. Even if he was, it really didn't matter. Dreams weren't exactly known for their real life accuracy. So what if the flower was make believe? 

It was still the sweetest, most romantic compliment he had ever received in his entire life. Even if it was given within the land of nod, Alex would take what he could get.

“Alex?”

Ah, that's right. His dark-eyed dreamboat had asked him a question. What was it again? He really needed to work on this active dreaming thing. His head felt far too fuzzy. 

Zagra’s thick eyebrows lowered in concern, a strange buzz-like noise vibrating from his chest. “My poor Xeplo.” Another word Alex didn't understand. He would have to remember to ask Zagra what it meant later. “The transport beam is always so hard on you.” The hand that had been stroking his hair moved to brush a thumb below his left eye. The action had Zagra frowning. Alex was beginning to feel guilty for making the man worry, even if he had no idea what he was doing to cause it. “I've been taking up too much of your time. You're not getting enough rest. Forgive me, my nectar.” 

Alex blinked. The comment stirring something in his fog-filled mind. That's right… This was how the dreams always started. Zagra would be standing over him, a mixture of joy and concern always on his face, as he fussed over Alex’s health. Alex would be lying flat on his back, drowsily staring up at Zagra while wondering if he was a god he was supposed to be worshiping. 

Almost right on cue, the heavy smell of disinfection and sterilization hit his nose. Alex regrettably teared his eyes away from Zagra’s handsome face and instead took in his surroundings. White walls, a bright light on a high ceiling, a monitor with unrecognizable lines and symbols and several large, frightening machines standing all around him. They reminded him of those huge, hulking robots used to build cars on a factory assembly line. They were all sharp edges and had a scary, silver gleam to them that was not unlike the gleam of a knife.

They should terrify him. The first time Alex had this dream, they undoubtedly had, but that first time felt so long ago now. The auburn-haired youth had had this same dream almost every night for months. Eventually the fear had just… worn away. 

It had got a lot easier once Alex had realised there was nothing to be afraid of, although he thought others would forgive him for not coming to that conclusion straight away. Still, Zagra never hurt him. He listened to every word Alex said and every word he didn't. That was the thing about his tall, dark and handsome; he was an expert on body language. Alex didn't even have to wince before Zagra would stop what he was doing and resume his fussing over Alex’s wellbeing. 

He had no idea what his subconscious was trying to tell him by having the same dream over and over again. Well, other than the fact he clearly had some kind of futuristic medical kink. This whole situation screamed doctor and patient roleplay, and the dream was definitely about kinks. That was because, although there were some slight differences when it came to conversation topics and… uh… physical examinations, the two things that always stayed the same no matter what?

Alex was always naked and the dreams always had a ‘happy ending’.

“I'm fine,” the patient eventually managed to croak out.

“You're exhausted,” the doctor countered back, pulling his hand away and turning to look at the large screen full of squiggly lines and unusual shapes. Alex guessed it was something like a medical monitor used to measure vitals, although how it was monitoring him Alex didn't have a clue. There were no wires attached to his body. Maybe the contraption he was lying on was somehow doing it? It was as soft as a cloud and supported him in all the right places. He didn't think even a foam mattress would be on par with this. Who knew what other magical things it was capable of? In fact, maybe that was why Alex was always naked. Perhaps it needed contact with his skin to get accurate readings on the monitor?

Oh, but yet again Alex was thinking too deeply into things. It was a dream. Dreams didn't have to make sense. 

“You need to get more sleep, and from now on, you will,” his sci-fi doctor ordered, seemingly satisfied with whatever the monitor told him as he turned back to gaze down at the patient he clearly obsessed over. “This has gone on much longer than I anticipated, but it was vital that I got this right. My heart, I need you happy and well. Your immune system fought me every step of the way, but finally, finally, it's cooperating. My newest treatment has finally solved the issue so now I can…”

Alex began to zone out a little. Zagra was speaking quickly about some sort of epiphany and his still dizzy mind was struggling to keep up with it. What Alex did understand was that Zagra was going on a tangent about his health again. This happened a lot. What Zagra needed in these moments was Alex’s reassurance that he was fine. He felt great. As fit as a horse. Honestly, he would say anything to take the worry out of that man’s voice. Alex hated seeing him upset, especially since he seemed to be working so hard on… Well, whatever this thing was that involved Alex.

He moved to sit up. “Zagra, I promise I'm we-”

Oh… GOD. Was that? Did he feel a…? He did! There was something up his… Inside there!

These dreams were one hundred percent about kinks.

Immediately, Zagra halted his rapid speech and shot out a hand to steady him. The look on his face was apologetic as he gently encouraged Alex to lie on his back again. 

His doctor was undoubtedly a sweet worrier.

His doctor was also undoubtedly a pervert. 

Alex couldn't judge. The doctor came from his own imagination, after all.

Which meant the real pervert was Alex.

...Jeez. 

“I'm sorry. I know this is uncomfortable for you, but as this is the last time I felt it important to do a thorough examination.” Zagra’s face followed Alex down as he was once again laid flat on his back. “Do you hurt anywhere? If it's too uncomfortable I'll remove it.”

The dreamer was thrown in a loop. Uncomfortable? Oh, Alex was definitely feeling uncomfortable, though probably not in the way Zagra meant. He could feel the goosebumps spreading down his naked body, the fevered blush blooming on his checks and down his neck. His cock had started stirring the second Zagra had called him impid.

And now the man was asking if the dildo he had slicked up and slid into Alex’s body was pushing things a bit too far?

Had… Had Zagra really not noticed what kind of state he was in? What he was doing to him?

A silence began to stretch between them. The bronze medic stared into his patient's blue eyes so intensely, Alex dared not blink.

Suddenly, the tip of Zagra's tongue darted out and swept over his bottom lip. The movement triggered Alex into action.

Zagra had noticed.


	2. Chapter 2

Like a cobra springing for the kill, Alex thrust out his hands and buried them in Zagra’s black, silky strands. He yanked the male's head down and smashed their lips together. It wasn't elegant; it was raw and needy. Alex acted like a man dying of thirst and Zagra's lips were his only water source.

In real life, Alex had never been kissed before. Circumstances had left little time, and little want, for Alex to socialise. He was in his late twenties and probably too old to be so naive about the human body and relationships. Heck, the height of his relationships had consisted of holding hands with a girl named Heather in secondary school.

That didn't matter here. Zagra had opened his eyes and inspired a confidence in Alex he hadn't known he was capable of. His dream man didn't judge. He accepted Alex with open arms, talented fingers and a mouth that tasted like flowery, unrefined honey.

It was addictive.

Zagra's body seemed to come alive beneath Alex’s touch. A buzzing once again fluttered from Zagra's chest, although the sound was much more rapid than before. It was like his heart was singing to Alex’s own, and Alex’s heart couldn't help but beat faster and louder in response. The noise caused a tingling sensation against Alex's lips as Zagra's whole body quivered with the sound.

One hand slammed down beside Alex’s head while another gripped his chin and wrenched his lips apart. A long, thick tongue plunged into his mouth and threatened to dive right down his throat. The muscle should have felt utterly foreign to Alex. Surely, no tongue could ever feel like this? It was so wide and swollen that it filled his entire mouth, and Alex had a sneaky suspicion that most of it was still curled inside Zagra's own mouth. How did Zagra manage to talk with a tongue like this? It was practically an extra limb!

However, the fair-skinned youth had only ever been kissed within his dreams, and only ever by Zagra. _This_ was Alex’s norm. It was what he expected; what he _craved_.

The dreamer moaned achingly, his eyes falling closed as sensation washed over him. Zagra's tongue dominated his mouth, his movements beginning tender, exploratory, before turning frantic and forceful. The wide tip repeatedly swiped over the roof of Alex's mouth, the touch causing sharp, tickling shocks to jolt through his body and make him squirm desperately. Alex was unsure if he was trying to squirm away from Zagra or squirm closer, the shocks a maddening torture that only heightened his need, but in the end it didn't matter. Zagra had him pinned on his back; Alex wasn't going anywhere. His only option was to submit.

“Za… Zagr-!” His mouth full, the young man attempted to beg for mercy. His tongue was practically swimming, the build-up of saliva and the pressing seal of the other's lips creating a delicious cage that Alex couldn't break free from. “Zag-!” Alex could feel the evidence of their passion drip down his chin every time he opened his mouth, every time he tried to gulp for air before remembering he could breathe through his nose.

Zagra pulled back slightly, but this action was only a pretence of mercy. His captor wrapped his tongue around Alex's smaller one like a snake coiling around prey. Zagra sucked hard, taking all the air Alex had in his lungs with him, as he wrestled his captive’s own pink, flailing tongue into his own mouth as though it were a sweet he was about to consume.

Zagra appeared to get drunk on Alex's taste, the buzzing noise going down an octave and turning into a deeper sound. The bindings inside his mouth loosened ever so slightly, and only then was Alex's tongue able to make a daring escape. It darted to the side and licked teasingly along Zagra's teeth.

The touch snapped Zagra back into his frenzy, but instead of continuing with his punishing kiss, he wrenched his mouth away and stared Alex down. His eyes were wild, both pupils blown. It was almost like he was on some drug. Utterly intoxicated. High on ecstasy.

High on Alex.

Alex panted like he had just ran an Olympic marathon. His mind was swooning as he _felt_ Zagra's eyes drag down his body, goose pimples appearing in their wake.

Zagra's teeth had always fascinated him. They felt elongated, as though they were too big to fit inside his mouth despite appearances saying otherwise. It was as though they didn't belong to a human, but to some animalistic predator. Alex would swear they were fang-shaped, but when his tongue would flicker to their tips, there were no pointed, sharp ends. No, they felt… even more unnatural. The ends were rounded, not quite square, but with no bumps as you would expect on a tooth crown. They were much smoother, almost like they had been _filed down_.

The thought was an insane one. Zagra did not file his teeth. His mouth was not full of giant fangs that felt longer than Alex's fingers. He had seen Zagra smile many, _many_ times, and although his smile was dazzling, it was also perfectly norm-

“AH! Ahh… Ah!”

Pleasure was dragged screaming from Alex’s throat, forcing him from his thoughts and back to the present. The object in his bottom had suddenly been yanked out and then slammed back in, directly into a bundle of nerves that currently had Alex’s back arching and his nails scraping against his strange mattress.

In his distraction, Alex had failed to notice Zagra removing his hand from his hair and moving from one end of the bed to the other. Alex craned his neck and snapped his eyes to the foot of the bed. What he saw had his breath catching in his throat.

One of the frightening, huge mechanical arms had its end lodged between Alex’s ass cheeks and inside Alex’s body. _That_ was what Alex had been feeling all this time. He almost wept as he felt the intrusion completely fill his insides, the cool, metallic object’s body squeezed inside his channel and stretching his passage further than he thought possible.

It should probably hurt. He should probably be frightened.

“If…” Alex's eyes flickered back to Zagra's face at the sound of his voice. The physician was staring, transfixed on his patient's shy erection that was beginning to weep under his attention. He closed his eyes and shook his head, as though trying to shake himself free from a spell. When he opened them again he forcibly planted his gaze on Alex’s eyes. Alex couldn't help but notice that those pupils were still fully blown, looking much like a feline’s would when about to pounce on prey.

“If this hurts…” Zagra swallowed like his mouth was salivating. “You must say. I refuse to hurt you.” His voice was ragged and strained. “You must speak up if…”

Again, the small, blue-eyed man was reminded of why he could never possibly fear his overly cautious, deeply loving, Amazon God.

“Please, Zagra.” The whispered wanton in Alex’s voice was as clear and effective as any demanding scream. “I need more. I need _you_. If anything hurts, I swear to speak up! Just don't leave me to burn up like- Ah, ah, ahhhhh!”

Words abandoned him in the split second it took for Zagra to grab the end of the mechanical arm, pull it free from his entrance and then slam it back inside, directly against that spot that made his toes curl and his mouth gape open. The movement was sudden, as swift and precise as a surgeon using a scalpel, and the shock of it had Alex’s head spinning, his muscles clenching and his vocal cords turning hoarse.

He was given no time to recover. A gasp of breath and then Alex’s legs were spread, lifted and pinned at his sides. Zagra's hands felt impossibly large, their grip somehow able to fully encircle each of his thighs as they were forced apart. Again the contraption was dragged past his inner walls, the very tip pausing to hold open his tight ring, before slamming back inside.

Alex felt like he was going mad. His erection strained against his abdomen as he was held at the very edge of an earth-shattering orgasm. He wanted to move, to reach out and touch his dark-maned lover, but as he squirmed to lift his torso and gain leverage beneath himself, another hand placed itself on Alex’s chest and weighed him back down. Alex might as well have been a butterfly pinned on a mounting board.

Pleasure continued to be forced upon him with no sign of the release he deliriously craved. In an act of desperation, Alex clung to the hand he could feel pressed against his chest, curling his fingers around Zagra's wrist as he tried to urge him downwards.

It was like pushing against a concrete wall, but that didn't surprise Alex. With a frustrated whimper, he flickered his eyes away from the blindingly white ceiling that seemed to stretch on forever and back down at Zagra, very much prepared to start begging.

He expected to see a large forearm blocking his view of Zagra's face, but instead what he saw was… nothing. Literally, nothing. He could feel the pressure of a hand keeping him trapped down, could feel a smooth palm and lean fingertips against his skin, and yet there was nothing but air before him. Nothing but space between him and the man who stared intently at his entrance being stretched by a machine that now seemed to move autonomously.

If Alex’s mind wasn't so preoccupied with sex-starved lunacy, he may have laughed over the absurdity of it.

His fetishes included a ghost now? Not that he didn't enjoy that film with the pottery scene, but this was getting ridiculous.

“Zagra!” Sitting on the brink of euphoria was turning him insane. “I can't stand this! Please!”

The call of his name finally grabbed Zagra's attention. His enlarged pupils dragged themselves over to Alex’s face, meeting his gaze with a fierce, intoxicated expression. “Alex…” The needy, rumbled growl in his voice almost brought Alex to orgasm then and there.

Zagra's gaze then dropped to Alex’s erection, and it was like a starving man staring at a perfectly prepared feast. “ _My nectar_...” The possessiveness in those two words left no room for argument. Thankfully, Alex wouldn't wouldn't want it any other way.

The pinned butterfly waited with bated breath for his captor to reach out a hand and enclose it around the aching need between his legs. As he felt the hands on his thighs alter their grip, he expected relief to rush through him any second.

However, this did not happen.

Laboured breathing and agonising lust did not stop confusion from sweeping over Alex’s face. He watched in bewilderment as, in the blink of an eye, Zagra transferred his grip on Alex’s legs to his waist, the two hands again feeling much larger than they looked as warmth and pressure locked around the entirety of Alex’s hips and lower back.

Alex expected to be able to move his legs now but… he couldn't. His slim limbs stayed pinned and spread, locked in place by an invisible grip that gave his thighs a repercussive squeeze for trying to escape their hold.

A dream, the erotic fog in Alex’s mind reminded him. The confusion didn't matter because this was a _dream_.

No hand touched his cock, which was now crying out in agony with milky-white tears, but Alex's doe-blue eyes widened when he saw Zagra's mouth move closer. It stopped about ten inches above his erection, and Alex almost started weeping his own tears over the cruelty of it all.

Whatever moisture had begun gathering in his eyes ran dry as he watched Zagra open his mouth. He opened it wide and then even wider, and then… wider still.

Alex’s heart leapt into his throat as a chill suddenly wracked across his heated, sweaty skin.

Zagra's lips awkwardly retracted, the dazzling smile that was a dentist’s dream fading to reveal long, protruding fangs that seemed to cover the entirety of Zagra's lower face from within a badly dislocated jaw. Fangs that looked like they belonged in the mouth of a shark.

Fangs that were not sharp, but rounded.

Alex’s own mouth had forgotten how to form words. His small hands strangled the wrist he could _still_ feel pressed against his chest.

From behind the rows upon rows of blunt daggers, a lengthy, serpent-like appendage appeared. It uncurled itself from Zagra's throat and swam downwards, a fluorescent drool dripping from its body as it reached for Alex’s defenceless erection.

It struck like a viper, immediately coiling itself around Alex’s length until not an inch of pink skin could be seen, the feeling so drenchingly hot that it almost burned him.

Then the viper constricted.

Alex voiced his silent scream, his violent orgasm ripping through him the same moment Zagra's jaws sprung for the killing strike. They engulfed him, swallowed him whole and drank greedily from a tap that wasn't allowed to turn off. The pounding in Alex’s bottom refused to slow down, forcing a mind-numbing intensity to his release that wouldn't damper. When Alex thought it was finally coming to an end, Zagra's inhuman tongue would rub and pull, milking him and forcing one orgasm to roll into another. It caused a continuous, all-consuming stream that had Alex's limbs violently spasming and his own shrill yells ringing in his ears.

Minutes ticked by as Alex continued to ride frightening bliss, until finally the stream slowed and he was certain Zagra had wrung him dry.

Then that deep buzzing, that sound that had been going on for so long that it was practically background noise, somehow got deeper.

Zagra's monstrous mouth was _vibrating_.

Alex saw stars, the pleasure so extreme that he was on the verge of blacking out from it.

Then all of a sudden, it stopped. The darkness that had been creeping around the edges of Alex’s vision hurriedly withdrew, leaving him once again at the mercy of the room’s harsh, bright lighting. The scalding heat that had been deliciously shaking his outer core had been torn away from him, leaving a lonely coolness to spread across his sensitive skin. The ruthless movements of the machine had retracted, a hollow empty feeling taking its place.

Despite this, the youth felt so utterly, wholeheartedly sated that he barely registered the loss. His limbs felt like jelly, the muscles beautifully liquified as he stared on in a happy, stupefied daze. He vaguely felt his legs being straightened and placed gently back onto the mattress.

“Forgive me, my Que-... my Alex.” Zagra's voice sounded pained as he moved to stand over Alex’s form, directly into his dizzying line of sight. The towering man’s fiery eyes were still smouldering as he bent down and pressed his forehead against Alex’s own. “I knew you were exhausted and yet I still pushed you.” His hot breath washed over Alex's face, all signs of wolfish teeth and snake-like tongues gone. “I forgot myself and became greedy, selfish, in-”

Alex lifted his chin and captured Zagra's lips with his own, the movement practically automatic as he hushed his lover’s self-deprecating comments.

Alex wouldn't stand for Zagra being bad-mouthed, not even if the bad-mouthing came from Zagra.

“Nothing about that was selfish or greedy, Zagra”, Alex stated as he pulled back, regretfully stopping the kiss from becoming deeper. “Gosh, if I only had your stamina, I’d be throwing myself at you and begging we do that all over again.” Alex smiled happily and honestly, the action visibly easing the guilty tension in Zagra's shoulders.

Alex hoped his handsome doctor wouldn't take his next comment the wrong way, but he felt he should speak of the elephant in the room.

“The huge fangs and long tongue… They were new,” Alex spoke cautiously. He couldn't even begin to imagine why his brain threw that at him, but he didn't like Zagra any less for it.

Confusion contorted Zagra's face and Alex suddenly worried he had said something offensive. “Not that they were bad or anything! They were very impressive. In fact, I've never seen-”

Alex could see the second understanding dawned on the other’s face. Zagra jerkily pushed himself away from Alex and slapped a hand over his mouth. Something akin to fear was reflected in his sparkling jade eyes.

Alex didn't like the reaction one bit. He forced himself into a sitting position, the satisfied afterglow vanishing in an instant. “Zagra-”

“Foolish!”

The anger in Zagra's snarl made Alex jump. Regret fell down on him as heavy as an anvil. Clearly, he had done wrong by mentioning Zagra's extra features. He must be sensitive about them. That must be why Alex had never seen them until now. Perhaps Zagra had been worrying about him finding out about them all this time… and all the while, Alex had constantly moaned for Zagra's touch, unaware of his lover's internal suffering.

He was ashamed of himself.

Zagra's eyes flickered to the strange monitor at Alex’s jolt. His furious scowl fell into a mournful grimace. “You are afraid of me.” Shame littered every word.

“Never!” Alex didn't even think. His reply was immediate; obvious. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, pulling himself to his feet and standing like a young Bambi about to take his first steps.

He felt wobbly, the physical exertion of their antics clearly not lost on him, but Alex would not let a silly thing like tiredness stop him. It was the fact that he was able to leave the bed at all that concerned him. Zagra had always coaxed him to stay on the bed, never forcefully, but his insistence had led Alex to believe that it was important he stay put.

A lot of things about tonight's dream were different. Things were changing. Alex didn't know what that meant and it worried him.

“I was surprised, shocked even, but not scared. I could never be afraid of you, Zagra.” Perhaps a little bit afraid of himself. He really hoped his subconscious wasn't telling him he had a new horror fetish or, god forbid, a sudden interest in bestiality.

He took a step towards Zagra, the other’s eyes widening at the movement. The larger male seemed conflicted. “Please, sit down. You’ll hurt-”

Alex tripped over his own two feet. Zagra moved quicker than the eye could see, easily catching him before he could tumble to the floor. Alex looked up from where he landed against Zagra's chest, a large, bright grin on his face.

“See? Throwing myself at you.”

The innocent grin was clearly infectious as a smaller, more contained smile appeared on Zagra's face. “So you are,” his careful doctor murmured back.

Arms wrapped themselves tightly around Alex’s body. Alex was thankful he could only feel one pair of arms this time. Whatever freak out his mind had been suffering earlier, it now seemed to be calming down. He laid his cheek back down on Zagra's muscular chest, enjoying the warmth that sunk into his skin and snuggling closer to breath in his exotic scent.

It reminded Alex of a dark, bitter chocolate with a high cocoa percentage. It was a very intense smell, but with an underlying sweetness to it that had Alex thinking of confectionery goods.

“You are the sweetest, kindest, most loving person I have ever met since…” Since his grandfather had passed away. Alex stopped the thought short. He wouldn't taint this moment with sadness. “...since a very long time. I don't care if you start looking different. You’re still Zagra. You're still the most important person in my life.”

It was wholeheartedly true. Zagra really was the most important person in his life.

And he wasn't even real.

A hand slid up from Alex’s shoulders. It stopped briefly to touch the back of Alex’s neck, before moving upwards to cradle the back of his head. It stroked down his hair, smothering the flyaway curls that clung to willowy fingers like curling vines. The steady beat of a heart played against Alex’s eardrum.

It always _felt_ real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter 2 of Sapphires and Supernovas! I hope the explicitness of this chapter wasn't too much of a surprise for anyone (I did tag this story as yaoi, after all), although perhaps Zagra himself is beginning to surprise you? Alex sure does have crazy dreams! Once again, any feedback or comments would be wonderful. Are you more intrigued by this chapter? Are you enjoying the story? Let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

“Truly, my heart, you are a very merciful creature.” The arm around Alex’s waist clamped tighter. His feet began to dangle above the floor as Zagra's face drew closer. The man’s frame seemed even larger than before, his height so giant that it cast a huge, black shadow in what was an otherwise blindingly white room. “I do not deserve it.”

Hanging there as he was, Alex felt a lot like a kitten being held in the maws of a Great Dane. Zagra's form practically bent itself in two as he curled over him. Yet it was not a sense of helplessness that overcame him, but a sense of security. He felt safe in Zagra's embrace. He always had.

It was due to that feeling of safety that Alex was able to speak up as confidently as he did. “I don't know what you mean, Zagra.” He often didn't. Zagra commonly seemed to speak a different language when around Alex. “I want to understand though, I really do.” The youth knew it wouldn't be an easy task. He was naïve in a lot of things and his world didn't expand far beyond Susy and the farm.

He would try, though. “I just…” Alex just wanted to be with him. He wanted these dreams to be as meaningful and real as the moments in his waking hours.

There was a pause. Alex tried to figure out exactly what he wanted to say in a way that made sense, but it was difficult. The fog made it difficult. The idea that saying his wants aloud would destroy their time together, demean the whole thing as imagination gone wild, made it difficult.

The hand at his head clamped over a buttock instead, and all serious thoughts of dreams, reality and meaning were thrown out the window.

“I lost myself to desire,” Zagra suddenly spoke, his voice a deep, decisive gravel as he appeared to come to terms with something. “It had been so long since I last touched you, my beautiful impid. So long since I last felt your skin against mine, since I last tasted you.”

Alex groaned as Zagra began to massage his bottom, the word ‘tasted’ causing the palm to sharply squeeze his left cheek. Alex’s breathing pitched. 

“You are breathtaking, my Queen… my Alex. Your beauty, your voice, your actions and your mercy… all of it is immeasurable. I am unworthy. No one of my kind could ever be worthy of your care.”

“Ah!...Ahh…” Alex couldn't hope to stay quiet. Both of Zagra's hands now molested his lower back, long fingertips digging between his cheeks and pressing him tight against Zagra's solid body. He looped his arms around the larger male's neck, desperately holding on as his cock rushed to revive itself.

“Zagra!”

“Your bodily fluids…” Zagra continued, his mouth reaching for Alex’s shoulder and making small, jolting nips across his milky skin. “They are ambrosia. Delicious, life-giving… My people would kill each other for the smallest taste.”

The buzzing was back. The tremors produced by Zagra's body surrounded Alex’s member like static from electric paddles. “The seed from your stem is especially...” Zagra went on. He pushed Alex's lower region harder against his abdominals for emphasis, rubbing him against his body like he was a lotion to be spread across his skin. “...exquisite.”

Alex was going to come. Already, so soon after the relentlessness that robbed his lungs of breath and made his eyes see stars. He was going to be pushed over that edge again.

The heat of Zagra's breath kissed his ear. “Your seed is also extremely precious. Precious to our future. Precious to my promise to you.”

Alex fought to hold on to Zagra's words. The man of his fantasies was letting him in, sharing things about himself that explained who he was and what Alex was to him, but staying anchored to that voice while he rode wave after wave of sensation was near impossible. 

His body tensed, the waves about to thrust him out to sea, when Zagra stopped and gently eased the grinding pressure between their bodies.

“Forgive me for indulging myself, my nectar. I struggle to contain myself in your presence and I became… unhinged.”

It was like coming up for air again. With a shuddering breath and a shake of his head, Alex forced himself to focus. “You can be as unhinged as you like with me, Zagra.”

The tone of the buzzing picked up at the response, but Zagra did not continue with his teasing. Instead, he scooped Alex’s legs up from under him, holding him like one would carry a bride over the threshold. 

His groom nosed the underside of his neck, a tongue skimming over the skin that had been nipped. “You spoil me,” he breathed.

Alex spoiled him? The statement was possibly more bizarre than the dream. It was Alex that was brought to completion time and time again, who was serenaded sweet growls of adoration and doting. It was Alex that received all the touches that Zagra claimed hadn't been given for ‘so long’. Surely, it was Zagra who was spoiling him?

Ah, but he was getting off track again.

“But you always touch me, Zagra. I don't understand... Did touching me today make you feel uncomfortable?” Was that why Zagra acted differently tonight? If not that, could it just be an exaggeration? Was Zagra saying that one night away from Alex had been too much? That couldn't be it. Zagra would act like this regularly if that were the case.

Maybe he had just had a bad day?

“Touching you has never been anything but pleasurable for me,” Zagra mouthed against his skin quickly, as though the question wasn't even worth thinking about. He gently pulled away from his neck, studying Alex's expression when he asked a question of his own. “Do you find my touch uncomfortable?”

Something in Zagra's eyes told the young Williams’ the question held a great weight. It made Alex even more confused. He went quiet, the seriousness of Zagra's stare making him consider his answer rather than replying with the automatic, though no less truthful, ‘of course not. I love your touch.’

“You and your touch are what keep the nightmares away.”

He wasn't sure if his body-morphing physician would understand his answer. How could Alex explain to Zagra just how much he meant to him? How could he know of the mountainous height of a pedestal Alex placed him upon? Zagra had given back a piece of Alex that he had thought lost the second his grandfather had passed away. The second he had realised everyone he loved was gone.

Alone. He was completely alone.

No. Susy. He still had-!

His thoughts abruptly halted when Zagra placed a brutal kiss upon his lips. It forced any thoughts of loss or loneliness out of his mind and instead reminded him of the still hard erection between his legs. Only when Zagra pulled away again did Alex realise they were moving back towards the bed. It was the first time Alex was able to see exactly what he had been lying on all this time. It, in fact, looked less like a bed and more like a large silicone mould. It was blindingly white and hovered silently above the floor. Hovered, like it really was some flat, misshapen cloud. Alex shouldn't have been surprised that he was faced with something which was, once again, bizarre and seemingly beyond his imagination. After all, it was painstakingly obvious that he underestimated the creativity of his subconscious. He had just always assumed he was lying on something like a hospital bed. Still, he was very grateful the contraption was infinitely more comfortable than it looked.

“Always”, Zagra spoke as he lowered Alex to the ‘cloud’ again. “I will always be with you, my impid. Whether you need me to stand guard at your dreams or touch you until dreams melt away into reality, I will not leave your side.” He again pressed his forehead against Alex’s own and for the first time Alex recognised the action as more than simple affection. The way Zagra closed his eyes as though lost in a moment, the almost pleading tone that rung through his voice... It was like Zagra was seeking a connection to Alex’s mind. Alex’s thoughts. Alex's soul. “I swear, I will give you what you want. You are the source of everything I need and I pledge to be the same for you. I will, my nectar. I promise, I will.” The sensation of numerous ghostly hands returned. Alex could feel them gently holding his head against Zagra’s, could feel them stroking down his sides and squeezing his shoulders. “There is no reason to be afraid,” he whispered before pulling back and looking determinedly into sapphire eyes. “You are not simply my purpose. You are my life.”

These were not half-hearted words. Nothing Zagra said or did was ever taken lightly by Alex. Each moment was precious, each second was treasured. In a way, Alex understood such dedication. At one time, he hadn't been able to imagine life without his grandfather. His family had been his life. Now? Now… his life had lost a lot of its meaning, but he was trying to find it again.

Alex certainly understood it in one sense, but in another sense, he understood utterly nothing. Putting aside Zagra’s strange assumption that Alex was, once again, somehow afraid of him, Zagra spoke like he was the centre of his universe. How? How could he suddenly mean so much to this person? Not just how, but…

“Why?” 

Why me? Why do I have these dreams almost every night? Why aren't you real? Why can't you be my meaning? These were the questions that Alex wanted to scream back at Zagra’s devotion and promises, ones that had been expressed as eloquently to him as a marriage proposal. 

A rather sombre smile curved Zagra's lips. “This is the last time, my beautiful Alex. After tonight, I will explain everything. As much as I possibly can.”

The icy grip of panic froze Alex’s heart. The last time? What did that mean? Did it mean this would be the last time he dreamed about Zagra? Was that why this dream was so different from all the ones before it? Was it signalling the end of his time with the only man he had ever wanted for himself? The only man that cared for him with such passion, he could be seriously lecturing Alex about the importance of good nutrition in one breath, and then sucking all the oxygen from Alex in one dramatic kiss in the next?

Would he now have to say goodbye to the man he… That he…

Alex stopped himself short. He couldn't do this again. He couldn't grieve over the loss of another loved one. His heart wouldn't be able to take it.

“All is well,” Zagra whispered as he placed a tender kiss upon Alex's cheek. He slowly drew back, the invisible hands against Alex's sides lightly dragging themselves against his skin, lingering, before removing themselves completely. “I require one more sample and then you will rest.” The order was firm. “You will rest for many hours and catch up on the sleep you so desperately need.”

No. No, this couldn't be happening. If this was the end then Alex needed more. Not more sex. Not more kinky, cyber doctor-patient roleplay. He needed to know more about Zagra. In some ways, he already knew a lot about him. He knew how the man’s broad shoulders would tense the second an unpleasant thought fluttered to his mind, despite the warm smiles he would shine Alex’s way and the insistence that ‘all is well.’ He knew the sounds Zagra made when he was aroused and deeply passionate, how his deep, growling words brought forth a vibration from his chest and a buzzing to fill the air. He knew how important good health was to Zagra. How he worried constantly. How strong he acted and yet how vulnerable he was to one wrong, careless word Alex fumbled with. 

Yet, he also knew very little. He didn't know how old Zagra was. If he had any family. Where he was born. Why he became a doctor. What foods he liked. What his hobbies were. What his past was like or what his dreams were for the future.

Heck, he didn't even know what Zagra's favourite colour was! 

He was about to start his protests. No way was he going to ‘sleep’! He wasn't going to waste this, to cut this dream short and never see his lover again just so he could open his eyes to a bare, freezing bedroom! 

Then another contraption seemed to materialise above up him. It appeared from the ceiling like the harsh white light was mear mist, something used to concealed and then easily swept aside.

The protests died on his lips. His body ever so slightly stiffened.

Zagra had only ever used this machine on him once before, but it was a long time ago and like most thoughts when he had these dreams, the memory was hazy. Still, he recognised the sleek shine of the machine's oblong body, the single flexible arm and the tight, hollow cylinder attached to it.

He had no idea what it was called, but in his mind, Alex referred to it as ‘the milker’. 

Alex shook his head. He couldn't get distracted! The machine wouldn't hurt him, it wasn't uncomfortable. Alex just didn't find it all that… pleasant. It made the act too cold and clinical and he couldn't help but feel a little like a cow being hooked up to a… Well, a milker. 

Hence the name.

“Ah, actually Zagra I'd like to talk.” Even as he spoke, the contraption quietly moved to his crotch, its arm reaching for Alex’s member which had wilted the second Zagra had said ‘last time’. He tried to subtly twist his hips in a way that made it difficult for the milker to grab him. “I want to get to know you better. I want to know everything there is to know about Zagra…” He trailed off when he realised he didn't know Zagra's full name. How could he not know that? It was such a basic thing! “Well, that's the perfect place to start. What's your surname? Do you have a middle name?”

Did Zagra know Alex’s name?

The thought made him blush with embarrassment. They really were strangers to each other. Alex had to fix that. “My name’s Alex W-”

“Alex Williams. Born May 17th, 1992. Your mother’s maiden name was Olivia Wood, your father's name was Eric Williams.” 

Alex blinked, dumbfounded at Zagra's words. Had Alex told him that? He supposed he must have. He wished he could remember, but the fog made it so hard to think straight. 

“You lived in a busy town when you were very small,” Zagra continued. He had a content smile on his face, as though merely speaking about Alex brought him a happy feeling of peace. He leaned over Alex’s body and began stroking his messy auburn hair. “You were young, so you don't recall much of that time.” It was true. He barely remembered his parents. They had passed away in a tragic accident when he was four years old. He wouldn't even know their faces if it wasn't for the photos his grandfather gave him. Sometimes he would smell something and there would be a glimpse of his mother's smile. The sound of the harmonica stirred something in his heart about his father. “Then your grandfather took you to the countryside to live with him on his farm.” He softly kissed Alex’s forehead. “I know everything about you, my Alex.”

“I… told you all this?” Alex felt silly for asking. Of course he told Zagra. How else could he possibly know?

Zagra paused in his stroking for a brief moment, before decidedly nodding his head. “You did.”

Something didn't sit right. Zagra's response didn't seem untruthful, but the tiny hesitation had Alex thinking that something was being left unsaid. “Zagra…” he began.

“Hush now.” The physician placed a quick kiss to Alex’s lips, effectively silencing him. He removed his hands from Alex’s hair and gripped his hips instead. Alex allowed him to gently manoeuvre his lower body flat against the silicon cloud again. The milker immediately latched on to his cock and Alex took a sharp intake of breath at the sudden contact. 

“You don't like this…” Zagra murmured dishearteningly. He took one of Alex’s small hands in his own and kissed his palm as though in apology. Zagra sought physical contact with Alex at all times. “I'm sorry, my sweet impid. In truth, I would much prefer you reached your pleasure in my mouth again, but this is the best way of retrieving a clean sample.” 

A sucking sensation engulfed Alex’s member and his back arched from the cloud before he could stop himself. The milker's cylinder tightened around his quickly firming cock like it was a second skin. It squeezed and pumped, forcing Alex’s breath to quicken.

He squeezed Zagra's large hand, desperately hanging on as waves of pleasure once again washed over him. “But I…” Alex began, his hips moving against his will as the need to thrust overcame him. “I wanted to talk… Ahh!” He threw his head back. His orgasm would be quick. His body was still too sensitive from earlier. “I wanted… to get to know you better. To… To ask you questions.” Gasps littered his speech. “It’s... important!”

“Tomorrow, my nectar. You will sleep and then we will discuss everything.”

Alex screamed, his release hitting him hard and fast. He sagged back against his hovering mattress, exhausted and drained. The milker carefully removed itself from his fatigued body. Sleep called to him like a beautiful siren. Still, Alex fought against its pull. 

“But we need to…” His eyelids felt incredibly heavy. He couldn't stop himself from closing them.

He could feel Zagra stroking his hair again. He never let go of Alex’s hand. The simple, loving touches lulled him further into soothing darkness.

“When you wake up, my Alex. We will talk about everything when you wake up.”

It was perhaps the cruellest thing Zagra could say to him. 

He knew with absolute certainty that Zagra would not be with him when he woke up. He knew because he had silently wished for him to be there many, many times. Every night, in fact.

Yet he never was.

This morning would be no different.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Nine months ago…_ **

The urge to scratch pulled Alex from his heavy, sleep-ridden mind with a steady but violent intensity. It was as though the sensation had started out as a small, niggling sound, only for it to build until it was a banshee screaming directly into his ear. He was compelled to move his arms, to stretch his fingers out and claw at his skin before he so much as opened his eyes.

The movement was so jarringly painful that he cried out. His skin felt unbearably tight, the itch, now an incessant burn, shook off any remnants of sleep.

Fear and confusion took hold of him with fierce grips. The reaction was not simply due to his pain, but at the realisation that the sound of his own cry was muffled to his ears. 

Alex’s eyes flew open.

Immediately, Alex knew something was horribly wrong. His vision was blurry to the point of short-sightedness and everything had an unnerving, green tint. He rapidly blinked, desperately wanting to rub at his eyes but not daring to in fear of more pain jolting his body. The action did nothing to improve his sight, in fact it seemed to worsen it as the air now appeared to ripple in front of him.

Wait, no… It wasn't the air that rippled.

It was water. The water rippled.

His vision was blurry because he was under water!

Panic overwhelmed him as he imagined himself drowning. He furiously kicked his legs and swung his head up before the threat of pain could register. He screamed, the agony hitting him like an electric shock as his legs and head each met a solid barrier. Nevermind drowning, the agony his body was in was enough to choke him of all his oxygen.

His eyes attempted to scan his surroundings. Though he could feel a smooth surface, he couldn't actually _see_ it. Even with his impaired vision, he should at least see some kind of wall this closeup. Whatever was encased around him wasn't wide enough to allow him to hold out his arms at his sides. Were they glass walls?

The severity of his situation hammered the final nail in his coffin. His water-filled coffin. He was trapped in some kind of cylindrical glass enclosure. 

He held his breath, hopelessly prolonging the inevitable. 

It was only once he reached the seventh second of holding air in his lungs that Alex realised he had been able to take a breath to hold. Slowly, warily, Alex released his precious oxygen and took another tentative breath. 

He could breathe.

Relief swept over him as Alex took a minute to close his eyes and wait for his heart to stop trying to burst out of his chest. He willed his life to stop flashing before his eyes. He wasn't about to die. He wasn't going to drown. 

He slowly opened his eyes again and carefully looked down at his body, being cautious not to jostle any of his limbs in the process. Even with the green hue plaguing his blurry sight, Alex had little trouble seeing how inflamed his skin was. He turned his head with a wince to get a better look at the skin on his shoulder. 

Large, incredibly sore-looking blisters greeted him. Taut skin peeled away from his body as though he were a bright red lobster moulting an exoskeleton. It shocked Alex’s already shaken mind. Had someone thrown him into a fire? Into the sun? It was as though he were suffering the most horrendous, most hideous sunburn imaginable.  

He clenched his teeth, dreading his next action but feeling, rather bravely or stupidly, compelled to do it regardless. He tentatively lifted his right hand, his pace so sluggish it rivaled a snail’s, as he made to touch his face. His suffering was hissed through his teeth until finally, his fingertips drifted over his mouth.

It wasn't his lips he came in contact with however, but something much smoother that didn't have any give beneath his raw fingertips. He outlined it's edges, feeling it to be some kind of domed, triangular mask that attached to his skin as tightly as an octopus's suction cup. It covered his mouth and as as he trailed his fingers higher, he realised the object’s rounded point also completely covered his nose. In the centre of the mask was something long and hose-shaped that protruded outwards. Alex had to squint as the strange tube wasn't visible to the naked eye, rather it was as indistinguishable and see-through as the glass that surrounded him. It lead somewhere up and behind him, at an angle Alex didn't dare move his tortured body to better examine.

It was at this discovery that Alex was suddenly able to see more of these tubes attached to various parts of his body. Gingerly, Alex reached out to touch the one closest to him, which happened to be his chest. They were thinner, more like wires than tubes, with the one he was currently touching attaching directly over his heart. It secured itself differently to the mask’s suction cup, however. It sharpened at the end, sinking directly into his skin like a needle.

A whimper tumbled from Alex’s mouth. His burnt, disfigured body was trapped underwater, his very life held at the mercy of an oxygen mask that, if taken away or turned off, would leave him to drown. He was being used as a pincushion, needles possibly reaching deep enough to pierce his heart, lungs, spine-

Light suddenly flooded the area and Alex immediately froze. He hadn't realised how ragged his breathing had become, how close he had become to falling into a panic attack, until after that shock of light had halted his breathing altogether.

It was difficult to make out with his hazy, green-filtered vision, but for the first time Alex was able to see that although his space stopped at the walls of his watery prison, outside of that prison was a large room. From what Alex could tell, the room was clean and sparse. With a painful glance to the right, he saw a wall covered in screens that blinked, showed squiggly lines, symbols and diagrams that Alex couldn't even hope to understand, at least not when he could barely see what he was looking at. Some sort of giant console jutted out from beneath them, although he couldn't tell if there were any knobs or buttons on its surface. 

With a hiss, Alex darted his gaze to the left. His eyes widened as he took in another glass prison beside him, this one empty of both water and a prisoner. It was a huge object, reminding Alex more of a tank than a prison, now that he was able to examine some of the outside. The thought of Houdini's famous water tank escape suddenly popped into Alex’s head. They called the tank he escaped from a Water Torture Cell. 

The name once again had Alex’s heartbeat skyrocketing. He suddenly felt like he was being put on display, as though someone was watching Alex while he floundered for control over his mind and senses. There were no straightjackets or handcuffs, but the wires, fragile skin and oxygen mask were as good as. Where was the trick? How did he get out? It was hard to make out any details on the other tank, but he couldn't see any obvious sign of a lock. Certainly no chunky keyholes. There was just glass and some large dark base that kept in secured to the floor.

He couldn't see a way out.

He wasn't going to _get out_!

God! Please! Someone! He needed ou-!

Outside of his cell, a door opened. Alex didn't hear it, but he caught the movement in his peripheral vision, snapping his attention to the area directly in front of him. His eyesight truly was in trouble. Alex hadn't even seen a door in the room. Even now, it simply looked like a section of the wall had dematerialized, rather than there being a real entrance and exit.

A humongous, dark shape entered the room. Even from a distance, Alex could tell that it dwarfed his much smaller frame. The room’s ceiling was so high that Alex’s inept eyes couldn't see where the walls ended and it began, and yet the shape was so tall that it disappeared into that height like a giant beanstalk disappearing into clouds.

It seemed to pause as soon as it stepped into the room. Was it looking this way? Was it looking at Alex?

It must have been, because in the next second that shape was rushing towards Alex like a hurricane rushing towards a storm.

The speed at which it raced towards him made Alex want to back away and take cover, but all he could do was gasp in a breath and tense his hideously sore muscles. The closer it got the more Alex could see, although the rushing of its motions meant that he got snippets of detail rather than a full picture.

He got a glimpse of… an arm? That couldn't be right. The limb was as long as Alex's leg and looked segmented, like long plates of armor that connected from shoulder to elbow, then elbow to wrist. The muscle definition was wrong. Both the bicep and forearm looked large and strong, but they were narrow, as though combined they created the blade of a massive rapier, not an actual arm. Also, Alex must have hit his head harder than he realised when he panicked earlier, because he thought he saw _several_ of them.

They all stretched out towards Alex, reaching for him as though they wanted to snatch him from the tank and pull him into the giant body they attached to. Each was tipped with what looked like a deadly gauntlet. He couldn't call them hands. Hands didn't have fingers like that. Fingers that weren't fingers at all but long, pointed claws that were indistinguishable from the creature's plated skin.

It was more the sight of those gauntlets, and less the sight of two huge, oval black eyes with no pupil or iris, that had Alex yelling, _begging_ for the creature to stop. They flipped a hidden switch in Alex’s head, sparked an automatic reaction that he couldn't have halted even if he wanted to.

Pain. Those nightmarish claws brought on a ghostly feeling of excruciating, searing _pain_.

The creature, because there was no doubt in Alex’s mind that the giant in front of him wasn't human, staggered back at his yell as though it had been physically hit. It rooted its frightening charge to the spot. It lowered its arms and simply… stared. 

It stared at its prisoner as though Alex was something unique. A rarity. A treasure to horde. A diamond to put inside a display case…

Alex gulped. He didn't know why he got that impression. It wasn't as though he could see the creature's face well enough to make out any kind of expression. All he saw was a vague, egg-shaped head and two massive, black hole eyes. Eyes that stayed trained on Alex. Eyes that penetrated deep into his skin, through his heart and to his soul.

He shivered.

Perhaps it was that involuntary action, that instinctual reaction of prey being stared down by a predator, that pushed the creature into moving again. It raised one singular arm, uncurled its deadly fingers carefully and inched its hand forward as though to press it against the glass wall, the only wall that separated Alex from its harrowing clutches.

The instant Alex flinched, the creature pulled away again. He retracted the limb not slowly, not carefully, but roughly. Violently. Its eyes finally shifted away from Alex to look at its own appendage. Its gaze stayed there for long moments, and Alex dared not breathe too hard in case he accidentally drew those eyes back to himself. 

It was like Alex's ears were stuffed with cotton. He heard very little beyond the suffocating waters of his tank, but he could have sworn he _felt_ a sound. Similar to a vibration, a buzzing that struck through the water and lapped at his sizzling skin.

The creature clenched its gauntlet into a fist and somehow Alex just knew this new sensation came from the creature. Not only that, but Alex couldn't help but think he was angry.

Hold on. He? Not it? Just when had Alex decided to give the creature a male pronoun? Yet, he had done so quickly, easily. Despite the heinous appearance, it was hard not to humanise the being in front of him, to not recognise the signs of thought and intelligence that distinguished him from unthinking beast and something more civilised. Why he referred to the creature as male, he didn't know. It didn't really matter.

The creature had stopped when Alex screamed for him to. He recognised a flinch. He realised Alex was terrified and decided to retreat rather than advance. 

_That_ was what mattered. 

The abruptness at which his captor turned away almost caused Alex to flinch again. Without a doubt, the creature was angry. What was the cause? Was he angry at Alex? Angry that Alex had yelled and backed away from his approach? The thought had him feeling sick. The pain he was in and the fear that constantly threatened to overwhelm him made him want to vomit. 

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know where he was. He wanted out!

The dark, blurry mass of the other began to move away, his image becoming fuzzier and fuzzier to Alex's eyes. The fear jumped up another notch. His heart leapt into his throat. If the creature left, what would happen to Alex? Could he open the tank? Could Alex risk letting him leave if he was the only one who could help?

“P-Please…” Adrenaline had been pumping through Alex’s veins when he had cried for the creature to stay away. The adrenaline was certainly still there, spiked by fear, but only this time did he realise how much it hurt to talk. He could feel his flesh pulling, tearing as he moved his lips. His throat burned with the same fire that scorched his body and his voice came out croaky and broken. 

His voice had some reaction on the other, but not enough to stop his pace. The creature's body visibly stiffened, his haunting claws flicking back and forth as they fought not to ball into fists again, but still he moved further away. Thankfully he didn't move far, his oddly-shaped, stilt-like legs taking him to the screens and console on the right. 

He stopped before the screens and raised his right hand, swiping it over the top of the console as he studied the screens. The console came to life under his touch, its light flashing brightly in the room before dimming to a soft glow.

Suddenly Alex felt something cool running up his arm. He cautiously turned his head, straining his eyes to look more closely at the chilly, uncomfortable feeling that pierced the underside of his right forearm. It was another tube, one he would have missed if not for the liquid that filled its centre and turned the transparent tube into a solid dark line. The liquid rushed into his arm and frosted his veins. 

Alex whimpered. The sensation wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable, especially as the sharp change in temperature was in stark contrast to his fevered body. The sudden jolt of it had him wanting to wretch his arm away.

It was over just as quickly as it began. The cold subsided and a blissful, numbing sensation took its place. Instantly, Alex felt calmer and more relaxed, so much so that his eyes drooped in heavenly relief. The blinding heat that seized his muscles ebbed away and left a pleasant feeling of floating in its wake. He felt wonderful, still a little sore in places, but otherwise soothed and peaceful. 

The creature was moving again and Alex blinked back into awareness, his concentration momentarily distracted by the much needed morphine, he assumed, was travelling through his body. His visitor had left the console and was now headed towards the concealed door.

He wasn't letting Alex out.

“Wait!”

The creature shuddered, almost curling in on himself as though Alex’s shout had physically stabbed him in the chest. Still, he refused to stop. Alex could only watch his back as he stomped further and further away, marching himself through the disintegrating door and out of Alex’s sight.

Once again, Alex was left alone inside his green-water cell. He hadn't realised how deafening the silence was, how still the water felt, without the buzzing vibration filling his senses or two orbless black eyes filling his vision. Now he simply floated, serene and pain-free, but that seemed to come at a cost.

What if that was it? What if that had been his only chance to get information, to get help, and now he was being left here forever? He should be panicking again, but he found his drugged mind was too placated to care. It was as though someone had thrown a wall up inside his head, an obstacle that forcibly detached him from the fear that was still surly there, but was utterly out of reach. With his fear submerged as deeply as his body, desperate questions swept him by without their horrifying impact. 

The creature. Who was he? _What_ was he?

Why did he have Alex? What was he _doing_ to Alex?

What kind of nightmare was Alex experiencing and how did he wake himself up?

He pondered the questions idly, precious minutes passing without consequence as he stared blankly out into the brightly lit room beyond his glass cage. He didn't know how long he waited like that, trepidation creeping along the edges of his consciousness while he stubbornly held on to a calmness he wanted to be real, when another person stepped into the room.

The stranger moved just as silently as the creature, walked with the same long, deadly strides. However, even from this fuzzy distance, Alex was able to see the obvious difference in size and height. The newcomer was still taller than himself, but not to a monstrous degree. He could make out two arms and two legs. A normal shaped torso. A normal shaped head.

An actual, _real_ person. Another human being! 

Alex’s mouth moved before he even realised what it was he was saying. “Help me! Please!” The words flowed much easier now that there was little pain to hold him back. “I don't know where I am. I-I think I've been kidnapped.” 

At Alex’s plea, the stranger moved closer. The way he walked was cautious, wary and not nearly fast enough to match the urgency of the situation. Still, as this new person drew closer and more of his very comforting, very _human_ appearance came into view, Alex could almost forgive him for his circumspect light footedness. 

Maybe this person knew about the creature and was moving carefully so as not to alert him? Maybe there were movement sensors, cameras Alex wasn't aware of. 

Maybe this person was also a prisoner, one that had managed to escape their cell. The thought brought a spark of hope to Alex’s dulled senses.

The person stopped directly in front of Alex’s tank, in the exact spot the creature had. Alex squinted, daring to inch forward and press his face against the glass slightly, as he took in the details of the newcomer's appearance. It was difficult to determine colour with his green-tinted vision, but the young Williams could see that the other's hair was darker than his own, possibly black. Its long length cascaded over the person’s shoulders and down their back. 

The hair elegantly framed a very masculine face, one that reminded Alex of those chiseled statues depicting Greek gods. A slim nose and strong brow. Lips that must have brought many girls to their knees when shaped into a smile. Their eyes were almost as dark as their hair and sparkled with such warmth that Alex thought he might be blushing.

The similarity to Greek gods didn't stop at the person’s face. Beneath a shady lab coat that buttoned tightly up their neck and hung down to their knees, Alex was able to make out a wide, flat chest, a toned abdomen and arms that rippled with muscle. Their skin was dark and, unlike Alex’s that was currently scarred and blistered, was smooth and unblemished.

“Please, you have to help me,” Alex said again to the man. He looked kind. Surely, he would help. 

“Be at ease, my Queen. You are safe and well cared for. Do not be afraid,” came a deep voice that cut through the cotton in Alex’s ears. Was there a device sitting in his eardrums? A speaker inside the tank?

Without a doubt, that hadn't been the response Alex had expected. The befuddlement must have been clear on his face, because the man rushed to continue. “You are a merciful, generous Queen. Thank you for accepting me as your first drone. It is a huge honor and a gift I will not squander.”

The stranger paused as though what he said explained everything. Not only was Alex more confused, he was now also wondering if the stranger was mentally balanced. Alex felt great sympathy for him. If he was another prisoner of the creature then who knew what he had been through and for how long?

“Can you get me out of this tank?” Alex asked simply, keeping his tone even and gentle.

This time it was the stranger’s turn to look confused. “That would not be wise, my Queen. The vat is needed for your recovery. You are… in pain.” Alex couldn't help but note how he struggled with that last part, as though Alex’s condition disturbed him just as much as it did Alex. “To remove you from it would put your life in danger.” Again the man paused. He took in a breath, in a way that suggested he was gathering courage. “Forgive me, but I will not do this. Nothing is more important than your wellbeing.”

Nothing the other was saying was making much sense, but from what Alex could gather he was being treated in some kind of medical facility. Was it possible he was in a hospital, then? Perhaps he hadn't been grabbed at all. With the condition he was in, it was likely he had been in an accident. Had he been caught in a fire? He wished he could remember, but try as he might, he couldn't recall anything. The wiring in the farmhouse was pretty old… Had the house caught fire?

Oh god, was Susy ok?!

“Where's Susy? Is she alright?!” Even with the drugs pumping through his body, Alex couldn't detach himself from the pure panic he felt at the thought of Susy being hurt.

The foreboding that had begun gathering in the man's expression quickly disappeared. He nodded his head slowly, seeming as confused with this conversation as Alex was. “The furry mammal is uninjured. She will be relieved to know you are awake. She has been angrily yelling about her ‘pack member’ for many hours now.”

Oh, thank good… ness. Huh? Well, perhaps that was the stranger's attempt at humour. It was kind of funny. A doctor doing a Doctor Dolittle joke.

Was he a doctor?

“I still don't understand. What happened to me? Are you my doctor? I keep trying to think back but I can't remember anything.”

It was possible this was a hospital. Maybe the tank he was in was a type of experimental treatment for burn victims. It didn't seem likely, but there was a chance, wasn't there? Perhaps the ‘creature’ he had seen earlier was just a hallucination from whatever drugs were in his system.

Maybe he had been right the first time and this was all just a bad dream.

The man's shoulders drooped slightly at Alex's words. A new expression crossed his face. Guilt? Shame? The sight only further baffled him. Nothing was making sense.

“Our connection was traumatic for you. I am not surprised you don't remember it.” His lips tipped in a sad, but dashingly handsome smile.  “Truthfully, I am thankful that your mind shields you from it.” He lifted his hand and brought it close to the glass, close to Alex’s cheek, but seemed hesitant to make contact with it. Instead he curled his fingers, drifting them downwards in a repetitive motion as though he was pretending to stroke the side of Alex’s face. “Truly, you are a strong Queen,” he whispered admiringly, his eyes fixated on Alex’s face.

Alex’s own eyes widened at the gesture and his skin tingled in an uncomfortable shiver. His brain stuttered for a second as it tried to decide whether Alex should push away from the wall or push closer.

“A doctor…” The other began speaking again before Alex could make a decision. His voice sounded uncertain, his tone mulling as though Alex had asked something complicated. “Ah,” he exclaimed. “A healer. Do not worry. I am skilled and knowledgeable enough to take care of your health.” 

His hand stopped its ghostly stroking and paused awkwardly in the air. His eyes searched Alex’s, waiting for something as it slowly closed the distance between it and the glass. Alex didn't move, barely breathed, as the stranger's large palm pressed up against the surface and spread its digits beside Alex’s cheek. Alex’s lack of reaction seemed to please the stranger greatly as his sad smile turned into a beaming grin. “I will save you, beautiful Queen, just as you saved me.”

Alex shouldn't have felt comforted by those words. They provoked more questions than answers. They explained nothing, gave him nothing and promised him _nothing_.

Ultimately, he was still at the mercy of a stranger, trapped inside a water-locked cage. It was also extremely important to remember that, if he wasn't under the effect of hallucinogens, a creature may well be keeping him preserved in fluid as a snack. Like a pickle in a pickle jar.

He should be freaking out over that. Why wasn't he? Was it honestly due to this man’s warm eyes, kind smile and gentle words? His mere presence? Wasn't it more likely to be heavy medication?

“I want to go home,” Alex stated feebly. It was just as important to say this aloud to the man as it was to say aloud to himself. He wasn't safe here, no matter what his traitorous body was trying to tell him. He couldn't allow himself to ignore common sense.

The man’s blinding smile faulted slightly at Alex's plea and a pang of regret rang through Alex's heart at the sight. 

“I understand,” the stranger replied a little dejectedly, though he didn't remove his hand. “Our meeting was under harrowing circumstances. I will need to prove my worthiness to you before you can put the entirety of your faith in me.” His smile creeped back, hopeful and strong. “I will endeavour to change your mind. Until you have accepted me, I swear to always return you to your old hive.” 

Smile still in place, his sparkling green eyes narrowed mischievously. “But you must wait a little longer, my impatient Queen. Your strong will is impressively fierce, but your body is somewhat more fragile. You cannot keep letting that will throw you blindly into danger,” he chided good naturally, his voice light and amused. “Indeed, I thank the Great Mother Queen for delivering me to you so that I may stop such sacrificial actions in the future. In fact, to make certain that this does not happen again, I believe I should not simply be your first drone, but your only drone.” The vibration against Alex’s skin turned less frantic, the trembling of the water moving in longer, slower licks. “Would you not agree, my mighty Queen?”

Queen? Did he agree? Agree to what? It was like they spoke different languages, neither fully understanding what the other said but managing to take away snippets of the conversation. Alex thought he got a confirmation that he would be allowed to go home and that he would eventually be released from the tank, but he wasn't sure. 

Despite his uncertainty, the other still stared at him expectantly, waiting eagerly for a response. Alex may not understand the question, but he did understand that his earlier statement had caused the other a flicker of pain. Now, the man smiled happily. He looked at Alex like he was his world, with a nervous eagerness that also told Alex he could crush that world with a single wrong word.

For whatever reason, Alex found himself not wanting to crush that delicate happiness. Practically in a daze, Alex felt his head nod in agreement before he comprehended what he was doing.

He had to be dreaming. No situation could be both this frightening and consoling at the same time. Could show him such blisteringly hideous, giantly monstrous things alongside such godly beauty and breathtaking smiles. He was experiencing the unexplainable, therefore the only thing that made sense was that this was a dream.

Now that Alex had come to that conclusion, it seemed silly of him to ask anything else. Clearly, he wouldn't get a straightforward answer. Yet Alex couldn't help but ask one last important question.

“Who are you?” 

The stranger's grin grew wider. “It would please me if you called me Zagra. Have no fear, precious Queen, you have chosen a worthy first drone.” With no lingering hesitation to speak of, Zagra moved his body even closer. He dipped his head and leaned his forehead against the glass, directly opposite Alex’s own. “I will be taking care of you from now on.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for checking out Sapphires and Supernovas! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Would you like to see more? Let me know what you think!


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